Sweet Child of Mine
by A Sin for Jason
Summary: Two year old Fallyn's mother is murdered. So she's taken to the only person she has left. Dad. Lucius, Narcissa, and Fallyn an oc...and assorted oc's
1. Chapter 1

The weather was not surprisingly dreary and rainy.

Even for England.

It had rained all day and most of the night, and a gloom hung over the countryside as the carriage made its way up the drive of the large manor. The carriage itself wasn't that ornate but it was larger than the average size. There were four horses all black and the shades in the carriage windows were all drawn.

Finally it stopped at the large double oak doors of Malfoy Manor at Wiltshire.

The driver jumped down and opened the door, holding out a hand to help the elderly, plump, woman from the carriage. The woman offered a smile and a "Thank you, James" as she opened the umbrella since at any given moment the mist may turn into rain once more, and stepped towards the manor's steps. She was about to step upon the first step when she suddenly looked down at her side and seeing herself alone, she looked down to the other and then an ear-piercing squeal caused her to whirl (no easy feat, there) on her heels only to see a small girl of about 2 years old giggling and jumping and splashing in a rather large puddle.

The old woman smiled and shook her head. Such a kitten, she thought. And finally, after letting her enjoy herself for a few minutes (Merlin knows this may be the last bit of childish fun she'll have) and then a quiet, "Fallyn, child...come along."

The little girl looked up at her, long blonde hair falling in soft curls to the middle of her back, the fringe of bangs brushing against long dark lashes and large deep blue eyes . A row of giggles and the toddler stomped through the puddle again before bouncing over to take the woman's offered hand.

Up the steps, a deep breath and the portly woman closed the umbrella, shaking it off and setting it against the wall. Then she pressed the chimes button.

Narcissa had been walking past the door on her way to the sitting room when the bell sounded so she turned and went to the door, opening it and a smile.

"Eugenia! What a surprise! Come in, please!" and she moved to the side to allow the woman to walk in.

The older woman entered and let go of the child who immediately began inspecting her whereabouts much as a kitten would in a new home. So aprèpeaux.

"Come in for some tea, will you? It's been far too long." Narcissa offered.

The other woman thought about it for a moment. But declined. "I must get back to the Ministry. But thank you for the offer."

Narcissa's brow creased and she looked at the little girl (she WAS adorable, wasn't she) and then back at her old friend. "Then..." But the question would remain unasked.

"I need to ask a favor, Narcissa. For the child" and she nodded at the little girl. "Her name is Fallyn Tanis Ma-- Bradley. Her mother was a pureblood witch that I don't think you know. But she knew of your family as does everyone. We received a call of an abandoned child crying and when we went to investigate...we found her. Hungry and dirty. And no trace of a mum anywhere. We foundout from neighbors who they were and it matched up with a murdered woman we found the day before who had been classified Jane Doe. The death wass being investigated, but without any leads, apparently she was well liked, it looks to be just another random killing...amd we have no more room in foster care and the home for this one. I know you have Draco...he's 2 now, isn't he? Just the same age as Fallyn..." The crux of the explanation was indeed a lie. The Adoption Agency had plenty of room for the toddler. But a note and some other papers found in the flat with some of the child's paperwork in a small box on the top shelf of Meghan's closet explained it all. Narcissa just had to believe that the little girl needed a home. Which she did.

Eugenia watched Narcissa as she watched the little girl. And an inward smile as she could see theyounger woman's heart melting.

"If it's too much I can of course try another family. But I know you can give her what she needs. And she'll have a brother to be raised with. I also know you must talk to Lucius. But I was hoping that maybe I could leave her with you for a while. Even if you don't want her...she has literally nowhere else to go."

Narcissa had been watching the curious kitten through the whole of the speech and her heart indeed was melting. She'd _wanted_ a little girl. But since she'd had Draco...and he'd been ripped from her...she'd cut herself off from Lucius. But now...look what was being presented to her.

Cissa knelt down, still watching Fallyn and once she was down at the child's level, Fallyn looked over and blinked those eyes...a squeal and she charged over, leaping at Cissa, wrapping her little arms around her neck and planting a kiss on the woman's cheek.

That was all it took.

She stood again, still holding the girl and it just felt...right.

A look at Eugenia and a smile. "Of course I'll take her. And she'll be welcomed as one of our own family."

The old woman nodded and with a kiss to the little girl's cheek, she turned to the door. "I'll see that the paperwork is forwarded quickly. Thank you, Cissa..." And with that, she was out the door and to the carriage and was gone.

Then she was alone with the girl.

At first, Narcissa was afraid that the girl would cause all kinds of panic. But she was much too curious and more interested in what was around her. One arm around Narcissa's neck and the other hand pointing at the doorway to the sitting room. Large eyes turned on Cissa.

" 'zat?"

She HAD to smile. She was FAR too precious. And to show her, she walked into the sitting room and set her down. There was a soft whimper and she wrapped both arms around her neck again and for the first time the toddler showed a hint of fear.

Cissa smiled and kissed the toddler's temple and walked over to the couch and sat down, sitting the little girl on her lap. Once she was sitting, Fallyn squeaked and wriggled wildly to get free. She was let go and Fallyn dashed over to the fireplace, hunkering down and looking at the small pile of wood. BIG eyes back at Narcissa then she pointed to the logs again.

" 'ZAT?"

Cissa chuckled softly. "Wood, sweetheart. For the fire."

WROOOOOONG. And she squeaked again and ran back to her carrying something..er...wiggling. Seemed a little lizard had found its way into the woodpile and now was trying frantically to free itself from the girl's surprisingly gentle grasp.

"MAMA! 'ZAT?"

_Mama..._

And Narcissa swept the child up in her arms, smothering the tyke in kisses which caused the baby to squeal and return them .

Then the moment happened.

Lucius walked in hearing a commotion.

"**WHAT**...is that?"

(TBC)


	2. Chapter 2

Narcissa frowned as Lucius stood there and asked the question, and before she could answer, the baby held up the lizard and squeaked, "PAPA!" and squealed in giggles.

Lucius' eyes narrowed with disdain at the toddler and then silver gaze shifted to his wife.

"I _**do**_ hope it's merely visiting..." he said with all the arrogance she'd come to know and love over the course of their marriage..

And she sighed softly, setting the wriggling monster down once more and keeping the girl in her peripheral. "No, Lucius. Eugenia was here. She told me that Fallyn's mother was found murdered and she needed someone..."

That was so like the old woman. And as the wizard watched the kitten take the lizard back to the wood and...blink...wait. She did NOT just turn some creature loose in HIS manor? And then a glare shot at his wife. "And what of it's father? Surely it must have had 2 parents? It usually works that way."

Cissa sighed softly, but couldn't stop the smiles when she watched the girl. "I don't know. I was just told of her mother. I'm assuming the father isn't around --"

"Then her father's a genius at least...and the child may inherit some of _his _intelligence...not a complete loss." he interjected, and Narcissa frowned.

"Lucius...you _have_ Draco. And you've seen fit to exclude me from his life. All I'm asking is that you give me this. Let me keep Fallyn -- "

And one brow shot up as he looked at his wife sideways. "That's twice you called it..." and a shake of his head. "Cissa, darling...you KNOW if you name them it's just harder to get rid of th-- "

"DAMMIT, Lucius! Listen to me, **please**. For ONCE in your life. This little girl needs a home. And a family. She has..._no one_." And her gaze softened and went back to the girl who was now getting a little close to the fire. "Fallyn, sweetheart...come to Mama..." And Fallyn looked over...blinkblink...and ran towards Ci -- BRAKES! And halfway to the couch she stopped, nearly toppling over, but looked up at Lucius instead.

Ponder.

Blink.

And Lucius growled softly much like an alpha male in the pack would at a cub, glaring down at the girl.

But if he thought in any way that that was going to intimidate the 2 year old...he was sorely mistaken. She merely looked up at him for the LONGEST time then pointed up at him and looked at Mummy and squealed with the biggest grin, "MAMA! 'ZAT!"

And it took everything in her power not to collapse in laughter as Lucius' grip on his walking stick tightened in reflex and he whirled and stormed out of the sitting room. Now _**that**_...had been priceless. And when the little girl started to follow after him (it was plain the fear was now completely gone...hm...she was definitely acting like a Malfoy) and Cissa clicked her tongue to get the baby's attention.

"Forget him, sweetheart. Come. Let's come back over here, hmm?" and she held out a hand to the toddler who came charging back over to her.

There was a ring at the chimes and Lucius paced his study.

It had been only a day since the baby had been dropped off and already things were in an uproar. Bloody hell.

He heard the quiet exchange of voices at the door and then there was the closing of the door and the footsteps across the marble foyer and the soft knock at the study door. Lucius stood in front of the fireplace, snifter half-full of brandy, and a soft, "Enter."

The door opened just a bit and the butler-houseservant walked in.

"Yes, Jeremiah...?" was the question that filtered across the silence.

The squib bowed his head to the wizard and a quiet, "Master...A delivery person from the Ministry...said to give these to you." And he handed over a large envelope with the name _Bradley, Fallyn Tanis_ printed on it in marker. Lucius took it and gave a short nod to the man who turned and quickly disappeared from the room.

Lucius sneered at the envelope and with a toss back to finish off the brandy, he dropped the papers on his desk. He'd have to give them to Narcissa later. This was _her_ idea...she could handle the intricacies.

He headed over to the cabinet once more and poured himself another drink. _Just who did she think she was...accepting this responsibility...and without asking HIM? UNHEARD of. Now he was to be saddled with this...this...child...whom he knew NOTHING about. What of its parents? Were they Pureblood? _A soft snort as he took that first drink. _She knew better than to bring anything BUT into this manor. It would be woe to the child if it wasn't. But still...this was RIDICU --_

"HI!"

Lucius whirled, nearly dropping the brandy snifter, but fingers clutched tightly to it still when he spotted the 2 foot troll looking up at him and finger-wiggling. A glare thrown at the door...Jeremiah must have not made sure the latch caught. Oh he'd PAY for that. The squib knew...especially since Draco had been toddling around as well.

Lucius swept past the child and to the door and pulled it open hailing a house-elf as she walked by, then DEMANDED to see his wife. NOW. And the house-elf apparated off. Lucius turned slowly and glared down at the child. Now. To get rid of...it. Maybe it would leave if he left the door open. And he did just that, and walked around her, trying to keep eye contact, which wasn't hard with those big...deep blue...like the ocean...uhm...wait a moment.

He stopped for a moment, lost in the little girl's eyes.

He'd seen her before...or at least her soul. Something about this child...he... _knew..._ already.

But then there was a rustling at the door as Narcissa came running in and swept the baby up into her arms, holding her tightly amidst a peal of giggles and hugs. She looked at her husband and mumbled softly, "I'm sorry, Lucius...this won't happen again. She got away from me for a moment and I"ve been looking for her..."

But the wizard was lost in his thoughts now. Actually something was really annoying him. Snort. And he waved Cissa off with a muttered, "Make sure it doesn't happen again. Take her out." And Narcissa bowed her head faintly but caught the distraction on him and turned and knew it was best to get the hell out now while he was like that.

Once they were outside of the office, Lucius headed to the desk and picked up the envelope, ripping it open and spilling the contents onto the polished oak. The forms...the government and Ministry papers...pictures of the kid...the kid and a kitten (how CUTE)...the kid and another bunch of kids (TWITCH)...the kid and her moth --

Lucius froze.

He stared at the picture. It **was** her. He'd seen it in the runt's eyes. And he began shuffling the papers around. frantically looking for the birth cer-- there! And he snatched it up and silver eyes scanned the columns.

Name: Fallyn Tanis 

Father:

Mother: Meghan Fallyn Bradley

Birthplace: Surrey, England 

Birthdate: December 6, 1989 

He stared at the words. Read them. And reread them. _By the Gods...it WAS her._

The "Her" was a witch that had been able to hold Lucius' attention as long as Narcissa had. During his encounters with other witches, Meghan had been the one he may have honestly left Narcissa for. She was young and intoxicating...vibrant and alive...and she had the most soulful deep blue eyes. Like an endless ocean or the deepest spring sky. She always was willing to listen to him no matter what he had to complain about. Or who. She had the infinite patience of a saint and she could make him feel better just by being with her and...not saying a word, really...there was _more_ with Meghan than the others. In fact...she had been his last.

That was two years ago.

_Fallyn...Fallyn Tanis._ He sighed softly. There was no father listed because Lucius knew too damn well who the father was. He looked up at the door when he heard the little shriek

"NUUU! GOTTA SEE PAPA! PDEEEZE!"

And he closed his eyes. Meghan was dead. He'd never see her again. Even though she had begged him to leave and go back to his wife...he knew that some day they'd meet again and then maybe things could be different. He never knew the reason she pushed him away was the toddler in the other room.

He heard Cissa's footseps coming back to the door and he frantically shuffled the papers around and gathered them and the pictures and shoved them into the envelope once more. There was a quiet knock on the door and he barked out, "Come."

Cissa peeked in and opened her mouth but seeing the manilla envelope on the desk made her smile and she walked over. "Jeremiah told me this had come. Thank you, Darling..." and she took the envelope and turned and left the study.

L:ucius was about to stop her. Was about to ask her to let him look over the papers a bit more. But that would have been suspicious. And he couldn't have that. So as the latch clicked to start the silence again, he settled back in the leather chair and sighed. This was all just a nightmare. It couldn't be real. There was no way she --

And when he looked back on his desk, he saw the corner of a picture that had been shoved under another paper and lost from its mates. Lucius almost called Narcissa back, but when he pulled it out from under the papers, it was the picture of Meghan and Fallyn.

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

_HIS...daughter. Fallyn...Tanis...Malfoy_...


	3. Chapter 3

Lucius paced his study for the third straight hour.

He didn't know what to do next. Imagine. HIM...at a loss. He knew he  
couldn't tell Narcissa what he'd found out. He knew she wouldn't  
understand. And it would probably drive her even further away. He didn't  
want that to happen. He stopped pacing for a bit and stared into the   
flames of the fireplace. HIS...daughter.

He couldn't get over that one. Inside his heart was bursting with joy.  
She was a beautiful little girl. Long blonde hair and those eyes.   
Like...well...like...her mum's. Pools that you  
could never escape from. Not like any boy in his right mind would try to esca--   
Wait. Boys. Snort.

Over his dead body.

He closed his eyes and sighed. By the gods. What was he going to do? He   
looked up at the clock on the mantle. 4:15 am.

With a heavy sigh he turned and left the study and headed up the stairs  
to his room. Once inside he reached for the lightswitch and -- no. Not   
tonight. He waved his hand and a few of the candles lit, throwing off a  
soft glow.

He walked over to the valet and pulled out his dark green robe.  
Heading across to the bed, he slipped out of his coat and unbuttoned his  
shirt, leaving the black silk to hang losely on his body. He stood  
beside the bed for the longest time, lost in thought. Finally he sighed  
softly and slipped off the shirt and pulled on the robe, tying it around his waist.

And more pacing.

Finally juat as the sun was struggling to rise over the treetops, he'd  
been standing at the window watching the dawn break and he heard a  
sound.

A soft squeak...and the quiet voice of a child singing some   
unintelligible song that only a 2 year old would understand.

Lucius turned and left his room, walking over to Fallyn's nursery  
door...he pressed his ear to it for a moment to listen. And a smile. He  
looked up and down the hallway and then quietly turned the knob and  
pushed open the door to peer in.

The moment she saw him, her face lit up and her mouth opened, and Lucius   
put a finger to his lips. She mimicked him but her other hand still  
held onto the railing of the crib and she bounced happily. Lucius  
slipped in and made his way to the crib and when she reached up to him,  
he threw a look over his shoulder at the door and then reached down,  
lifting her up.

Fallyn giggled wildly and as one arm wrapped around his neck, her other  
hand began to toy with the lapel of his robe.

"Papaaaa...purtyyyy..." She said softly...and those blue eyes turned to  
his silvers.

"Yes it is, hm?" he said softly and walked over to the rocking chair and  
slowly sank down into it, settling her on his lap. "But you need to get  
some sleep, princess...your mother will be awake soon. And I'm sure you  
have plenty planned to keep her busy during the day...now go to sleep..." And he began  
slowly rocking her, as she flopped back against him, thumb stuck in her  
mouth and one little foot bouncing as she hummed quietly.

Lucius couldn't help but chuckle softly as he kissed the crown of silken  
gold on the baby, and she looked up at him -albeit upside down- and a  
blinkblink.

He looked down at her and kissed her forehead as he felt a swell of  
emotions. "My princess...Fallyn Tanis...Princess of Chaos...true to  
your title.. How can I explain to someone who doesn't understand now...and   
probably never will..." Heavy sigh. "I do think you're the most  
precious thing...but...for reasons you may never understand...I can't be  
your Papa. At least...like you want. Please...when you're old  
enough...I'll explain it all. And only pray that you'll be able to  
forgive me..."

Another few minutes and when she was lolling off to sleep finally he  
eased up and carefully walked over to the crib again and laid her down,   
pulling the blanket up over her. He stood over her for a little while  
longer and finally when he heard Narcissa's alarm ring down the way he  
leaned over and kissed the baby's forehead and turned and left the  
nursery.

As he walked back into his room, that cold exterior washed back over him  
and all of the previous emotion was lost.

And for the next 14 years...this...is the man Fallyn would know as  
Father.

_The End_


End file.
